BCBSNC gives money for Cross-City Trail

The City of Wilmington received $555,000 from BlueCross BlueShield NC for construction of one of the last remaining sections of the Gary Shell Cross-City Trail.

Wilmington was one of three North Carolina cities selected by BCBSNC to receive funds for biking and greenway projects. The funds are made available through BCBSNC’s Get Outside North Carolina! initiative which encourages North Carolinians to get healthy.

The funding will be used to help complete the final phase of the trail that will stretch from John D. Barry Drive on S. 17th Street to Wade Park off Waltmoor Road. As part of an arrangement with BCBS, the city agreed to provide funding for the remainder of the project.

The entire 15-mile trail will be fully funded following acceptance of this gift. The city has already received $4 million in federal funding and more than $1 million in state funds for the trail.

Approximately 11 miles of the trail are now complete. When finished, the trail will be 15 miles long and will stretch from Wade Park in the southern part of the city to the Heide Trask Drawbridge in Wrightsville Beach.